Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

In association with Irish Sailing

Winterising Your Boat

Winterising Your Boat

The whole idea of winterisation can be about as appealing as having a tooth filled – and possibly as expensive – but there’s no substitute for being prepared, and a reluctance to cough up the necessary budget can be a false economy in the long run.

Of course, winterisation is not a word that will stir much enthusiasm in the breast of the average boat-owner, bringing home the fact that summer is over and the evenings will now close in with unprecedented speed.

However, the W-word could be quite painless, even fun, if you are into that sort of thing. And most sailors love their boats – it being a source of pride and pleasure – and want to keep them in top condition.

This Afloat guide to winterising your boat (see menu on right hand side of page) will steer you towards those who can do the job for you, or at least give you useful advice so that you don’t end up standing in the dark, cold, wet, and frustrated, with oil on your clothes and an engine strewn all over the driveway.

It may be true that in the depths of winter lies an invincible summer.